Awaken, the Legendary Warrior!
by Reloader
Summary: Bardock can't shake the feeling of death he's had since returning home. When his plan to save his sons falls apart he must take a different approach, and a legend comes to life.
1. Chapter 1

Homecoming

Planet Vegeta slowly grew closer in the spaceship. For a moment, Bardock admired the view of his home, then he noticed the ominous moon hovering above it.

"Freeza's spaceship," he said.

"What the hell's going on?" his partner said beside him. "Granted, this is just the thing that Freeza bastard would pull."

"Take off your scouter," he reminded him. "They can hear you."

"Oh, dang it."

"Looks like this asshole really is planning something..." Bardock said to himself.

A few days ago they were in the middle of conquering Planet Gossamer when they received an order to evacuate and return to their home planet.

They reached the planet proper and descended to the surface.

"Yo, Bardock!" another Saiyan greeted them as they got off the ship. "Good to see you're still alive and kicking."

"Hey, do you happen to know why they ordered us to come back?"

"Who knows, they probably found a good planet and needed actual fighters."

"I see," Bardock simply said while his partner and the other Saiyan laughed.

"Oh, by the way, I heard the Freeza Army guys have been talking a lot about the Super Saiyan."

"Super Saiyan?" he raised an eyebrow. "You mean the legendary Super Saiyan?"

…...

The village was exactly as he remembered. Even after three years away the stone huts covered in holes for light had remained the same. The only difference was there were far more people, and the frenzy of activity.

"Ah, welcome back, Bardock!" someone called.

"Hello," he waved, reaching his destination.

"Yo, I'm back, Gine," he said to the slim woman with the shaggy hair butchering meat.

"Bardock!" she ran to embrace him. He remembered when she was part of his team, the rare Saiyan who didn't like fighting; after saving her so many times she'd finally left for the meat distribution plant, but they hadn't left each other.

"The town's pretty lively," he commented.

"Yeah, there's going to be a festival because everyone's back!" she let go of him to gesture excitedly.

"Sounds fun," he looked around. "Where's Raditz?"

"He's a soldier now. He's partnered with Prince Vegeta and is off on a planet somewhere," she informed him. "Apparently it's really far, that's why he hasn't returned yet."

"Prince Vegeta, huh?" he chuckled. "Raditz got the short end of the stick."

"He did," Gine nodded. "Do you want to see Kakarot? I'm going to take him off the incubator soon."

She took him deeper into the house to the incubator and the mini-Bardock inside it sleeping peacefully.

"He's grown."

"And he looks exactly like you," the woman grinned. "Especially with that crazy hairdo."

Bardock didn't speak. He looked at his second son and thought to the strangeness of Freeza's orders, as well as the feeling of approaching death he couldn't shake.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"After nightfall I'm stealing a capsule pod," he told her, making up his mind. "We're sending Kakarot to another planet."

"What?!" Gine protested. "What would make you want to do such a thing?! Kakarot is not going to be a Rocket Baby!"

"It's for his safety."

"W-What,,,?" she asked, her anger vanishing. "What do you mean?"

"Freeza -"

"Mom! Dad!"

"Raditz!" the woman ran to meet her son and hugged him. "You're finally here!"

"Prince Vegeta didn't want to come," he told them. "But the king sent him a message and we quickly came back.

"Dad! How was your mission?"

"It was good," he said weakly, trying to get over his shock. _One kid we could smuggle off the planet, but both? That's not an option anymore, what..._ he recalled his son's words. _A message from King Vegeta..._

 _A/N: I started writing this story a long time ago, but things happened and I couldn't continue it. Now that I finally have time to waste again I decided to tackle it again._

 _This story will combine both Dragon Ball Minus and The Father of Goku, along with my own twists and ideas._

 _Finally, sorry about this chapter being a retread of Minus. I needed to show how it diverges from the original story (Raditz making it to the planet and Bardock's plan going to hell) so I had to borrow from it. Starting next chapter it gets more original, promise._


	2. Festival

_A/N: Sorry for the wait, everyone! I had to take care of some stuff and that took some time. The only reason I even posted anything on my other story is because it was already written._

 _Anyway, here's the next chapter. It ended up a bit longer than I thought, but it was for the better in my opinion. As always, leave a comment on what you think so far, and what you'd like to see._

Festival

"Wow! I haven't seen the planet like this in a while!" Gine exclaimed.

The festival was already in full swing when Bardock and his family arrived. Raditz was walking to his right, trying to look brave but noticeably nervous, while Gine was to his left carrying young Kakarot.

The place was full of people. A lot were chatting and eating from the many, many food stands, while others were naturally sparring. On a corner he saw that odd group talking about the Saiyan God, but he ignored when he reached the main event...

"The Super Saiyan Tournament!" Raditz exclaimed, looking excitedly at his father.

Whenever they all gathered, all Saiyans who wished took part in the tournament to determine who was the strongest, and the winner was deemed the Super Saiyan.

"You should join, Bardock," Gine told him. "You were always the strongest in our squad. I'm sure you can win it."

"That's right," they heard behind them.

The family turned around and found Tora and the rest of the squad approaching them.

"Gine!" Fasha clasped the woman's hand. "How's the meat center treating you?"

"Hey, kiddo," Tora greeted Raditz. "I heard you're already doing missions."

"I'm partners with Prince Vegeta!" the small Saiyan puffed his chest.

"Prince Vegeta?" Shugesh asked. "What a pain in the ass."

The group started laughing, including Gine.

"So what's gonna happen, Bardock?" Fasha asked, giving Kakarot back to his mother. "You're gonna fight in the tournament?"

"I'm not sure," he said quietly. "I need to find King Vegeta."

"He's gonna be watching the tournament like every time," Tora informed him. "Plus, Prince Vegeta is going to be a participant."

"Is that so?" Bardock grinned. "Then I guess I'll join, and Raditz too."

"Huh?" his son blinked several times.

…...

"I'm only going to say this once," the King of all Saiyans said angrily. "Look at how your brother fights, that is how you need to be, Tarble."

"Yes, Father," the prince bowed his head.

King Vegeta frowned. A Saiyan who didn't like fighting? That was bad enough, but he was the prince! What an embarrassment, for the prince of the might warrior race to be so weak and timid! He was planning on sending him away when he received the message from that bastard Freeza.

But not all was lost for the king.

"I don't know why you bother, Father," his other son, Vegeta, said cockily. "I'm more than enough to rule the planet."

"You are," King Vegeta nodded. "Now go and win that tournament."

He and Tarble watched the fighters fill the arena. All great warriors, but all of them were low class, unlike him and his son. Out of all of them only one stood out, a warrior with a scar on his cheek he sometimes heard the soldiers talking about.

A warrior who, unlike the rest, was walking up to him, a young boy trailing behind him.

"King Vegeta," the man nodded.

"You are..." he thought back to those conversations. "Bardock."

"Yes," Bardock said. "Our sons are partners."

"Are you participating in the tournament, Raditz?" Prince Vegeta asked. "You're almost as weak as my brother."

"I am not!" he said nervously. "I'll beat you and become the Super Saiyan!"

"We'll see about that," the prince said as the two ran to the arena.

"You're not joining us, King?" the man asked.

"No need," he replied. "I already know I'm the strongest."

"Spoken like a true king," Bardock chuckled. He then grew quiet, and for a moment looked at the night sky. At Freeza's spaceship. "Our sons traveled home from very far, didn't they? And not just them. My team was almost done conquering Gossamer when we got called back.

"I wonder what's so important we all had to gather here."

King Vegeta was looking at the sky as well. At the man's words he briefly glanced at him, and saw him glancing back. _Perceptive man_ , he commended. "I guess we'll find out when Lord Freeza tells us. You're going to be late if you don't hurry."

Bardock glanced at him again, then headed for the arena.

 _Let's see if your strength matches what is said about you_ , the King thought, going to the seats more interested than usual.


	3. The Super Saiyan Tournament

_A/N: I'm really, really sorry for the lack of activity. I barely started writing again and just updated the other fic I'm working on. I don't like making promises I can't keep, but hopefully I'll start updating this weekly, or bi-weekly at the very least._

 _Also, it turns out I'm not as good at writing fight scenes as I thought. If anyone can point me in the right direction of a fic with good fight scenes I'll be grateful_

The Super Saiyan Tournament

King Vegeta smiled to himself. The tournament had been very entertaining this year; he didn't know whether it was because there had been better fights, even if they were low class warriors, or because he was actually looking forward to something this time.

"And the winner is Bardock!" the referee called, and paused briefly for the rather big cheering from the stands. "He'll be fighting Prince Vegeta in the finals!"

"Brother is amazing!" Tarble exclaimed to his side.

"At least one of my sons is," he said dismissively. Tarble had lost in the very first round, the weakling, while Prince Vegeta had breezed through every opponent.

The king made a motion with his hand, and moments later he was handed a drink. He took a long swig while he waited for the intermission to end.

…...

"I knew it would be the prince," Bardock sighed. "What a pain."

"I know you can beat him, Dad!" Raditz said with far more enthusiasm than before the tournament started; making it to the second round before losing, even if mostly by luck, had done wonders for his confidence.

"A lot of pressure on you," Gine teased, pointing to the squad and everyone else cheering from the stands. "Don't let them down."

"Like I care about them," he stretched. "Well, it's showtime."

He walked up to the stage, where the young prince already waited for him. The kid was strong, most likely stronger than he was; it was even said he was a prodigy.

"Ready?" the referee asked both. Bardock nodded, so did Prince Vegeta. "Begin!"

The Saiyan Prince flew at him at high speed. _He's fast, all right, a true elite warrior_ , Bardock though as he sidestepped away from the attack. The prince stopped and tried a roundhouse kick, which the warrior also dodged. The boy launched a barrage of attacks, none of which hit Bardock. He was powerful but inexperienced, and his reach was short, something the lower class warrior took advantage of.

"Is running away all you can do?" the Prince taunted. "So much for the warrior everyone talks abo-"

The rest of his taunt was lost when Bardock kicked him in the face, sending him flying against the wall. "You lowered your guard, young prince," he charged an attack on his right hand and threw it. "In battle that could cost you your life." The attack connected, causing a large explosion.

"DAMN YOU!" Before the smoke cleared Prince Vegeta sped toward him. Bardock crossed his arms and blocked the punch, the force pushing him back a good distance. _I can't take these blows_ , he frowned. _I need to end this before while he's still out of control._

The attacks continued, just as ferocious and inaccurate. He dodged and block when he had to, wincing at the strength of the kicks and punches. _Just a little longer_ , he thought. _Just a little – there!_

Just before the prince's punch landed Bardock threw himself backward, so his body was parallel to the ground. The prince flinched in surprise, and at that moment the warrior struck. A heavy kick to the stomach sent the boy high in the air. A second later Bardock appeared above him, and with all his strength drop-kicked him back to the ground, the Saiyan Prince crashing powerfully.

Bardock landed a good distance away from the crater, just to be sure. But this time nothing came out of the dust cloud. When it cleared on its own Prince Vegeta laid unconscious.

"Winner!" the referee ran up to him. "This year's Super Saiyan is Bardock!"

The crowd cheered loudly, and he saw his squad, Gine, and Raditz running toward him. He looked up at King Vegeta and saw him grinning before he left. He started turning back to his comrades when something pink caught his eye.

Dodoria.


	4. Conversations

_A/N: Sorry for the small delay. Work got in my way, plus I ended up having an epiphany for this story and had to re-outline a lot of things after the Super Saiyan Tournament. We should be back to the 1-2 weeks per update thing I said._

 _Also, sorry for the shorter update, I needed to bridge the old outline to the newer one and this was the best way. Chapters should get longer from here._

Conversations

King Vegeta smiled. So the famous Bardock had beaten the prince.

 _He made him angry to lower his guard, then attacked_ , he drank from his cup. _A tactic only a weak, low class warrior would use._

Still, that showed he was clever. He could be useful.

"Go get your brother," he ordered Tarble. He left his seat, and started walking away when a disgusting pink blob caught his eye. "Dodoria..."

The pink blob walked away from the arena. He handed his drink to one of the women waiting and flew off, landing behind it.

"Enjoyed the show of our might, Dodoria?" he asked it.

"The Saiyan King," it turned around, as brute as always. "It was a show, all right."

King Vegeta resisted the urge to punch him. "So, you have any news for this special mission Emperor Freeza needs us for?"

"You'll be told when you need to," Dodoria scoffed. "Don't forget who you serve, monkey."

"I serve the emperor," the king snapped. "Not you, disgusting fatso."

The pink blob clenched his fists in anger, and King Vegeta smiled. If it wanted a fight it'd get one, and he would make it learned never to insult the mighty warrior race.

"As you say, King Vegeta," Dodoria said, calming itself with a clear effort. He murmured something under his breath and flew away.

The king watched him disappear in the distance.

…...

"So that's all that happened at the monkey carnival?" Lord Freeza asked, not bothering to look away from the large window of the spaceship, and the view of Planet Vegeta.

"Yes, my lord, nothing but weaklings," Dodoria said, kneeling alongside Zarbon. "I want to add King Vegeta seems suspicious."

"I'm not surprised," the emperor said, his voice sounding faraway. He knew the monkeys weren't a danger, yet he needed to get rid of them. They were getting stronger with every mission, every planet fell to them easier and easier. If they all banded together against him, or if that myth happened to be true...

"I cannot wait the entire month," he finally said. "I want constant updates on their arrivals. As soon as most are here we'll destroy the planet and hunt down the rest."

"Yes, my lord," both his servants said.

To himself he said. "There will never be a Super Saiyan."


	5. Summons

_A/N: Sorry for the short update. I'm having a bit of a writing stump, plus I need to do a bit of research (meaning rewatch Z yet again) to get a few things right, or change them if they're not how I remembered them._

"That's better, Raditz," Bardock smiles, dodging his older son's attacks.

A few days had passed since the Super Saiyan Tournament, and the kid had been pestering him to train every single one. Since there was nothing to do until the "special mission" began, he agreed.

"You can do it, Raditz!" Gine cheers from where is reclined against the wall of their house, while Kakarot laughs and walks around. "Give it to him good!"

"I'm gonna beat the Prince next time I see him!" the boy fires an attack. Bardock easily swats it away, the small energy ball heading to the sky. He briefly tracks it, and Freeza's ship comes into view.

 _I wonder if the king is doing anything about it_.

His thoughts are interrupted when Raditz manages to punch him in the face, sending him to the ground.

"Wow!" Gine claps in amazement, and Kakarot imitates her. "Great job, Raditz!"

The boy smiles, full of pride, and looks at his father, who hasn't moved from the spot.

"I give up," he tells him. "Let's take a break for today."

They start heading inside the house, where the large slabs of meat Gine made await them, when a soldier waves for him to stop.

"What do you want?" Bardock calls, though by looking at the soldier's formal armor, only worn by those in direct command of the king, he already knows what it is.

"You and your family are being summoned to King Vegeta's presence," he tells him all the same.


	6. Mission

The two men watch their children out in the courtyard. Tarble is chasing little Kakarot, the toddler laughing as he runs away, while Raditz fights Prince Vegeta, Gine cheering her son.

"I'm sure you didn't summon us to celebrate my victory at that tournament," the low class warrior turns toward the king.

 _Straight to the point_ , King Vegeta smiles. "I couldn't care less about that," he replies, and is silent again. He looks to the sky where, even if he can't see it, Freeza's spaceship orbits their home. "Our sons traveled home from very far, didn't they?"

Bardock lifts an eyebrow. _I've got his attention, all right._ "I wonder what's so important we all had to gather here."

The low-class warrior grins. "I see."

"You have no relation to me, and nobody will look twice at a low-class Saiyan."

"I appreciate your trust in me, sir," the sarcastic edge on the warrior's voice makes the King chuckle. "When do I leave?"

"I'll let you say goodbye to your family."


	7. Parting

Parting

"Come on, Raditz!" Gine cheers. She's sitting cross-legged, with Kakarot sitting between her and Prince Tarble. "You can do it! Beat him up!"

 _So pointless_ , Bardock smiles, watching the two children fight. His son doesn't stand a chance against Prince Vegeta; even he himself doesn't. _But the kid's doing well._

A few minutes later the fight is over. Raditz is laying on his back, panting heavily, while the prince stands victorious, talking with his brother.

"You did it, brother!" Prince Tarble beams with pride. "You're so strong!"

"Of course I am," he scoffs. "At least one of us has to keep the legacy going."

"Right." He tries to hide it, but the look of hurt that crosses the younger prince is clear to everyone. Prince Vegeta frowns, but quickly drops the gesture. "We'll start training tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay!"

Bardock can't help but chuckle. _He tries to look the part, but he's not a ruthless kid._

"Hey, you," Gine finally notices him. She and their kids go meet him. "How was the meeting with the King?"

"It went well," he tells her, putting his hand on his oldest son. "Go play with the princes, okay?"

He and Gine wait for the kids to run off.

"What is it?" she asks.

"He gave me a special mission," he holds her. "I'm leaving in a few minutes."

"Is it related to the mission Lord Freeza summoned all Saiyans for?"

 _Who knows, they probably found a good planet and needed actual fighters._

 _Oh, by the way, I heard the Freeza Army guys have been talking about the Super Saiyan._

"It is," he nods. "Gine, I want you to keep it a secret, and to be alert until I come back."

"What's going on, Bardock?"

He pauses. _Should I tell her? This is something only the King and I suspect._

"Freeza is afraid of the Super Saiyan legend," he lowers his voice. "I think he gathered us here to destroy us."

"W-what...? The Super Saiyan?" her eyes go wide in fear. "But that's just a children's story!"

"We all know that," he chuckles. "I guess he's the only one who thinks it's real."

"So... what is your mission?"

"To confirm our theory."

Gine stares at him, the fear still filling her eyes. "Good luck," she tells him. "Don't die."

"I won't."

He holds her for a moment, looks at his children, then walks away.


	8. To the Fated Day

To the Fated Day

 _Four..._

"How was that?" Prince Tarble asks. He's gasping for breath, but a smile is on his face.

Prince Vegeta, in contrast, looks as fresh as if he hadn't just dodged dozens of punches, kicks, and energy blasts.

"Better," he says, surprised by the note of pride in his voice. "There's hope for you."

"Yes!" the younger prince jumps excitedly, then assumes his battle stance. "Let's do it again!"

Prince Vegeta gets ready as well. _He's so weak, even if he's improved after training this whole week_ , he thinks as he dances around his brother's attacks, _Father would have exiled him if Lord Freeza hadn't summoned us. He's the shame of the family, but –_

The punch is less than an inch from his face. He dodges to his left and kicks Prince Tarble in the side of the head, sending him flying. The boy gets up, fighting back tears.

"What?!" Prince Vegeta calls. "I never said I wasn't going to hit you back!"

"You never said you would hit me, either!" he complains, but resumes his stance. "I guess this is the next part of my training!"

"Sure let's go with that."

 _He's the shame of the family, but I don't hate him._ Prince Vegeta smiles, and slows his movements so his brother can dodge them. _I guess I'm as soft as he is._

 _Three..._

The King paces around the throne room. For seven days he's done this, and his advisers are growing worried. They whisper among themselves, wondering what could make the proud, intelligent King Vegeta III act that way.

 _No word from Bardock_ , the King tells himself. _Could he be dead? No, I would be informed if that happened. Damn it all, should I gather my men and attack the bastard?_

He stops walking. He looks at one of his servants, and gestures for a drink. Moments later a goblet is touching his lips. The bitter taste jots him, clears his head.

 _Not yet_ , he decides. _I will gather my most trusted men, but I will wait a couple more days. If I don't hear anything, I'll assume their silence confirms my suspicions and attack._

 _Besides, I think it's time for a new ruler of the universe._

 _Two..._

"You're a weakling!" Raditz laughs, running just out of reach of his younger brother. "You'll never catch me, I'm an Elite Warrior!"

The boy makes faces, and Kakarrot giggles as he runs after him. Raditz keeps gesturing and teasing the boy, and gets distracted long enough for his brother to grab and squeeze his tail. Raditz falls on his face, out of energy, while the toddler climbs on his back and tries to pull the tail off.

Gine laughs at his older son, but the gesture is hardhearted. Something gnaws at her, keeps her on edge. The feeling of death.

 _It's been a week... and no word from you._

"Mom... help..."

She walks to Raditz, still on the floor. She picks up her second son, who starts crying when he loses his grip on his brother's tail.

"There there," she lifts him in the air and spins around. The boy starts laughing and she smiles at him. Her eyes, however, catch the spaceship floating on the upper atmosphere, and the worry returns stronger than before.

 _Where are you, Bardock?_

 _One..._

His eyes open a sliver, the most his strength allows. His eyelids are heavy, as if someone is trying to close them, and his body feels both battered and burned.

Bardock tries to remember what happened, how he ended up half-death, and the effort sends a stab of pain through his head. He tries again, and this time succeeds.

 _We were right, Freeza is going to kill us_.

He tries to get up, to crawl, to do anything to get him to the king, but his body refuses to cooperate.

 _I need to tell him, we need to fight, we -_

His eyes close, and the darkness consumes him.


	9. The Fated Day, Part 1

The Fated Day, Part 1

The soldier all but crashes into the throne room, falling on his face. The guards raise him to his feet, and the king looks at him.

"Onio," King Vegeta calls the low-class warrior. He's short and bald, his power level even lower than that disappointment Tarble. Useless as a soldier, but perfect for passing by unnoticed. "Speak."

"Your Majesty," the man takes a knee. "You were right! Bardock is dead! We're all going to die! We need to run aw-"

In a second the king is in front of him. He grabs him by the face and lifts him so they see eye to eye. "Slow down and speak again," he glares at him, and his voice is thick with anger. "I misheard you and thought you said we had to _run away_."

Onio's pupils shrink, and the king feels him start to tremble. He throws him on the ground and waits for the man to recollect himself.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Your Majesty," his voice is still trembling, but he talks slowly and clearly. "It was two days ago..."

…...

He'd finally got him alone.

Days of eavesdropping, of following, only to find no information except the growing anticipation in Doddoria's voice. Finally, Bardock had decided on the traditional Saiyan way of gathering intel: he'd beat it out of him.

It had taken a while. He was always with Zarbon, or one of Freeza's other men. He feels he can take on the pink blob, but two at the same time, or even Zarbon alone, gives him pause. The blob wanders off, away from civilization. _So that's how it is_ , Bardock follows him. Sometimes you have to walk straight into the spider's web.

After a while the blob stops walking and turns around. "You can come out, monkey!" he calls.

 _Not a very smart plan_.

Bardock leaves his hiding place and takes a step toward him.

"You? I thought it would be one of the king's men."

"You thought wrong."

"So, what does the monkey want from me?"

He pauses before he replies. The pink bastard won't talk, so he needs to say the right words to get the truth out. "When is Freeza going to destroy our planet?"

His expression says it all. Eyes wide, mouth hanging open, Doddoria takes a step back. He shakes his head, and when he stops he's somewhat composed.

"When did you figure Lord Freeza's plan?" he demands.

"I had my suspicions the moment I arrived," he smirks. "You just confirmed it."

"You bastard..."

"So? When is he going to get killed?"

"You smug ape," the pink blob laughs. "You have two more days before he blows up your pathetic planet, and there is nothing you can do about it."

"Thank you for giving me all the information I need," he says.

"I knew you were spying on us," he brags, and, some distance away, Bardock sees four figures rising from the ground. "Looks I trapped _you_ instead."

"Look at how surprised I am," Bardock says, just as Doddoria's four warriors attack.

He charges energy in one hand and hits the ground, launching a large dust cloud. Their shadows stop in surprise, and before they can recover Bardock rushes to his first victim. The soldier, a yellow humanoid, sees him, but a hard punch in the throat cuts his scream before it even forms. The Saiyan gets behind him, crushing his neck with one arm and throws a large energy beam with the other. The attack hits the second soldier, a purple alien with a long head, the explosion creating yet more cover.

"There he is!" the third one, a red-skinned humanoid with horns, points to where Bardock is. He and his last companion, a fat green alien, throw large energy blasts in his direction.

"S-stop..." the faint voice of his human shield is unheard by his companions and ignored by the Saiyan. Badock waits until the last minute and jumps high in the air just before the attacks kill his shield.

"We got him!" the green alien cheers. A second later Bardock lands hard on its head feet first. The Saiyan hears a satisfying crunch and the alien's head seemly recedes inside his body, like the inhabitants of planet Splinter. Without missing a beat he throws a blast at the last soldier.

"What is...?" are the man's last words before the energy annihilates him.

Bardock lands on the floor and quickly looks around. Without his scouter he has to find the enemy with his own eyes; that said, a fat pink blob shouldn't be too hard to find.

The fist is an inch from his head when he notices it. He dodges it, but the second one is too fast; he presses his arms in front of his chest as the hit lands, sending him flying away. He crashes through several rock formations until he rolls to a stop.

"Dammit," he coughs harshly, and blood sprinkles the ground. He gets on his feet with an effort, his arms seemly broken and his ribs barely not.

"Typical Saiyan bastard, all bark and not bite," Doddoria laughs. "You can't even beat me, and you think you can face Lord Freeza."

"Doddoria!" he screams. The blob opens his mouth wide, and a massive energy blast envelops the Saiyan. For a moment the world is painfully bright, then darkness takes over.

…...

"I see..." King Vegeta nods to himself. _So he died, huh? Well, as expected of a low class warrior._

"Sir?"

The man are anxious. Scared. He glares, but doesn't lash out at them. Freeza is powerful, as is Cold. Taking them won't be easy, but...

"We're Saiyans!" he shouts, making everyone jump. "The strongest warrior race in the universe! Freeza wants to rid of us because he's scared!"

They recover, and roar in agreement.

"Gather our best soldiers!" he orders his aide. "We're going on a 'diplomatic mission'."

oOo

Far too slow for his liking, Freeza's ship grows closer.

"Roger roger," his pilot says. "My Lord, we're clear for landing."

"Good," he growls. He walks to the landing bay, the strongest soldiers all around him but none at the front; he's the king, and he'll lead the charge.

The ship enters Freeza's large vessel, and the noises of landing and shutting off a ship follow. When it's all quiet, the landing bay opens.

"Welcome, King Veg-" the rest of the soldier's words are consumed by the blast that takes his life and the lives of those caught in the explosion. With a roar his men throw themselves at the rest.

"Great job, men!" he blasts the door into the ship proper. "Let's keep going!"

The door leads into a hallway, already packed with dozens of Freeza's soldiers. _Just what I expected_ , the king looks at them, wearing blasters and fear on their faces, and grins in anticipation. " Men... attack."

In a couple of minutes the fight is over.

The soon-to-be former Emperor is in a room with a large glass window, giving him a great view of the planet. _My home_... King Vegeta briefly looks past the monster to the blue-green planet behind him. _It'll soon be the center of the Saiyan Empire, and my grandfather's – and my – vision will be a reality._

"Good morning," Freeza greets him, bringing him back to reality. "How may I help you, King Vegeta?"

"I know your plans, bastard," he glares at him. "Too bad I'm going to kill you, and take the universe for myself! We're the strongest! _I_ am the strongest!"

"Really," he laughs. "Show me how you're going to do that, then."

The king is fast, his punch aimed at the monster's face, but he misses. He tries again and again and again, with the same result.

"I'm impressed," Freeza chuckles. "This must be the power of a Super Saiyan!"

"Shut up!"

King Vegeta faints a kick, then swings hard with his right fist. Freeza sees through it, dodging, and moving inches from the king. The king jumps back, fear chilling his body, but the emperor is still next to him.

The King of all Saiyans sees Freeza throw an uppecut, feels it connect under his chin, and then he feels nothing anymore.


	10. The Fated Day, Part 2

The Fated Day, Part 2

"Thank you for the meal, Gine!" the younger prince says. "It was delicious!"

"It really was!" Raditz agrees.

"This is what low-class warriors eat?" Prince Vegeta frowns. He's about to speak again when he's tackled by his brother and her older son. Kakarot watches them, laughing as the three struggle on the floor.

"Take that back, bastard!" Raditz orders him.

"Brother, please apologize!" Prince Tarble begs him.

"I was going to say..." he tries to get free. "That when I become king I'll get everyone better food. Soldiers need good food to fight well."

"Thank you, Prince," Gine chuckles.

"So you're saying our food is bad?!" Raditz glares at him.

"Brother, you're making it worse!"

"Dammit, you two!"

"I'm going to borrow your gizmo again," Gine announces, walking to the chair she set outside.

"Sure!" Prince Tarble nods. "Go ahead, Gine!"

"Hey! It's not yours to lend!"

As the kids start another round of fightng, she tries on the scouter again. She has no frame of reference for what the numbers mean, but she can see the older prince's numbers are the highest, followed by Raditz and then Prince Tarble.

"This is so cool," she walks around outside the house, the scouter picking up the presence of everyone in the village. "It's definitely better than the scout-scopes we had."

The scouter's sudden beep startles her. She turns to where it's pointing and sees a ship taking off from the palace, taking off at a high speed.

"Father?" Prince Vegeta hovers in the air, as if trying to get a better view of the ship. "Where is he going, to Freeza's ship?"

"Maybe he's finally going to tell us what the special mission is," Raditz offered.

"Maybe..." she says, looking at the numbers on the scouter with worry. _There's too many people in the ship, too many for just going to talk with Lord Freeza... they're going to attack him. Bardock, you were right._

The ship disappears in the sky, and the numbers disappear as it leaves the scouter's range. Nothing else of note happens after that. The three boys fight some more, then try to teach Kakarot to no avail. The boy just runs around thinking he's being chased by them, which they eventually do.

Gine watches the four, her attention split between them, the sky, and the scouter. "I guess it's time to feed them again," she says as her stomach growls loudly. "Boys, it's time to -"

Her words are cut off when the scouter suddenly starts beeping again.

…...

"Well, so much for the legendary Super Saiyan," Emperor Freeza shakes his head. "I thought he'd survive at least _one_ attack."

"They were always all bark and not bite, My Lord," Doddoria laughs.

"I'll get someone to get rid of the bodies, sir," Zarbon says.

"What bodies?" The emperor raises one hand, and a flash of energy disintegrates the King of all Saiyans and his men. "Find a janitor to sweep up all the dust."

"Yes sir," he leaves the room, followed by Doddoria.

"And now," Freeza turns to the view of Planet Vegeta and hovers in front of the window. "I guess it's time to destroy the rest of the monkeys."

The door suddenly opens, and Zarbon rushes inside.

"Yes?"

"My Lord," he says, looking out the window. "Outside."

The emperor looks out the window again, unsure of what he's looking for and growing annoyed at his servant for not telling him. Then he sees it. Coming from the planet, a light approaches.

A lone Saiyan warrior, flying toward the ship at full speed.


	11. Solid State Scouter

Solid State Scouter

Bardock tries to open his eyes, and this time they obey him. He's still on the field, where he got the truth out of him. The truth about their destruction by...

"Freeza!" he gets on his feet. He pauses, narrows his eyes as he looks at himself. The left side of his armor is destroyed, as is most of his clothes, but otherwise he's fine. His body still hurts from the pink blob's attack, but he can ignore the pain.

 _How long was I asleep?_

He hovers in the air to get his bearings, but is distracted by a scouter going off from one of Dodoria's soldiers. He picks it up and notices a multitude of power levels flying upwards. In the distance, he notices a ship leaving the planet.

 _That's the King_ , he grins at the highest power on board. _So, he somehow confirmed Freeza's plan and is going to take them out._

 _Or maybe he didn't, and just decided it's our turn to rule over the universe._

His smile vanishes when he sees King Vegeta's energy suddenly disappear. Moments later, all the rest vanish as well.

 _That monster..._ he grits his teeth. He takes off the scouter and stares at it, slowly crushing it as he tries to get his anger and worry in check. _What can I do?_

"Everyone who can hear me!" he switches on the communicator function of the scouter. "Freeza is about to destroy the planet! If you can fight, join me! If you can't, get off the planet!"

Bardock crushes the machine and lets it fall. _Hopefully someone listens_ , he takes a deep breath. _Hoperfully Gine and the kids..._

Bardock crushes the machine and lets it fall. _Hopefully someone listens_ , he takes a deep breath. _Hopefully Gine and the kids… dammit, I'm getting way too soft._

He looks to the sky, his mind and heart set. With a burst of energy, he flies to stop the tyrant.

…

The ship is close enough that he can finally see its details. All around it the doors open, and a small army of soldiers pour out, all flying toward him. Before, he would have smiled at the challenge. Now, with death for him and his world so close, he roars as he flies into the first man, crushing the jaw with his elbow.

A dozen soldiers fire blasts at him, and he throws the corpse at the energy beams. The corpse is disintegrated in a large explosion, and Bardock flies through the smoke past them. He dodges and pushes his way forward. A soldier grabs him, and he takes an arm and spins fast around before throwing him away. Still spinning, he kicks yet another man, breaking his ribs.

He blasts two more soldiers, only to be tackled by a third.

"Let go, you bastard!" he knees the soldiers, loosening his grip, and throws him off. Three other soldiers grab him, followed by at least a dozen more. Bardock tries to get free to no avail.

"Freeza!" he screams. He gathers as much energy as he can in his hands, and engulfs himself and his captors in a large explosion. When the smoke clears he stares at the remaining enemies. There are still many, and he feels exhaustion start to set in. "Face me, you coward!"

He takes off again. A soldier flies in front of him and is blasted away. Two more appear behind him, but Bardock is ready for them. He dodges their attacks, blasts one and crushes the other's throat with a punch.

A third one kicks him in the back, sending him flying away.

He recovers, dodging a follow-up attack, but is hit by another soldier. And another and another. "Dah!" he blasts them away, and tries to fly off when someone grabs his leg. Before he can respond another wraps his arm around Bardock's neck, follow by the rest of his limbs.

He's been captured.

Two soldiers float in front of him, grinning as they charge their energy.

"End of the line, monkey scum!" they yell. "Now die!"

The two aim at him... and are incinerated by an energy blast. Bardock's eyes widen in surprise and looks below him, in the direction the attack came from.

"Prince Vegeta?" several blurs cross his sight, and the men holding him suddenly release their grip as they're sent flying away.

"Hi, Dad," Raditz appears on his left, giving a tense smile. "We're here to help."

"'We'?"

"Good day, Mr. Bardock," Prince Tarble greets him to his right.

"Hi, honey," Gine appears in front of him, and he sees Kakarot on her back. "We heard your message on the Prince's scouter."

"Why are you here?" he shakes his head. "You should have taken everyone and left the planet!"

"But then you would have died!" his son cries.

"You're welcome," the older prince scoffs.

"All right," he chuckles, then looks at Freeza's soldiers. "Then let's go, squad!"

Raditz and Prince Vegeta make an effective team, while the younger prince and Gine (and Kararot) are good backup, taking care of the blind spots while Bardock and the boys take on the army.

Minutes later, there is no more army.

"Freeza!" Bardock screams again. "Your army is gone, you piece of shit! Come on out!"

The door on top of the ship opens slowly, and Bardock smiles tightly. The Emperor has finally come out.


	12. Awaken, Legendary Warrior!

There are six monkeys standing against him, the Emperor sees. Three boys, two of them being princes Vegeta and Tarble, a female carrying a baby on her back, and the man he saw rushing toward him.

"So you finally come out, you miserable lizard!" the man shouts. "Your army is dead, and soon you'll be too!"

Freeza touches his scouter, focusing on the man. He's above most Saiyans, but weaker than the royalty, his own subordinates Sarbon and Doddoria, and is no more threat than an ant to him.

 _So he's the final line of defense of the monkeys?_ The Emperor rises his index finger, and starts laughing as he charges his attack. He sees the monkeys tense up and actually get ready to fight, making him laugh even harder.

He finishes powering his attack, and with a flick of his finger throws it at them.

Bardock watches the attack grow. It's so large and bright it's as if another sun has appeared. He looks at his family and the princes. They're all exhausted and afraid, but still stare at the emperor with determination.

He turns behind him. To his home. His race, about to be annihilated by an impossible force because they were in the way... and then he understands what every alien went through as they faced his people, especially transformed into mighty Oozarus.

He wants to laugh, but there's no time.

"Dah!" he gathers all his power in his right hand, and throws a massive energy beam against Freeza's attack. For a moment the monster's attack slows down, then picks up speed again. Four more beams join his, but fare no better and are quickly extinguished by their exhaustion.

The sun-like ball grows ever closer, and Bardock starts being pushed back

"Dad!" Raditz is behind him, pushing to keep him in place.

"Bardock!" Gine joins their son, as do the two princes. He even feels Kakarot's tiny hand pushing him, the ordeal most likely a game for him.

Yet their struggle is useless. The energy ball moves ever closer. He tries to put more power into the attack, but the beam dissipates when runs out of strength.

"No..." Gine says.

Bardock takes her hand and Raditz's. Kakarot starts crying as the heat of the attack reaches him, and his older brother takes his hand. Prince Tarble takes Gine's hand, and Prince Vegeta takes his brother's.

"I'm sorry," Bardock tells them, glaring at the attack even as it engulfs them.

Freeza watches the Saiyan fight back, even slowing down his Supernova for a moment. _Defiant to the end_ , he can't help but be impressed. _Even King Vegeta surrendered to his fear in his final moment._

"But it was all for nothing," he starts laughing again when the monkeys are consumed by the attack. "And now, the fireworks begin-"

A bright blue light cuts his celebration short.

Warmth.

It's not the scorching heat of Emperor Freeza's attack, Gine realizes, but a warmth that reminds her of her fighting days, of sitting by the fire after a hard day of battle.

She opens her eyes with reluctance, afraid she'll be back to her impending death the moment she does. But all she sees is a large blue sphere of energy where Bardock stood, and that Freeza's attack is gone.

"B-Bardock?" she calls, moving away from it.

The sphere collapses into column of blue fire, then disappears completely. Bardock stands before her, but he's different. He looks younger and leaner, and his injuries are healed.

"The legend was true..." she says softly, staring with awe at his red eyes and hair.


	13. The Emperor vs The God, Part 1

_What is this? What is this... strength?_

Bardock looks at himself, trying to understand the power inside him, power that seems to be expanding without end. He turns to his family and the princes, and sees the same look of shock and awe in each of their faces.

"T-the legend was true..." Gine is the first to get her voice back.

"You're a Super Saiyan..." Prince Tarble is next.

He turns to his son and Prince Vegeta. They stare back with their mouths open, the Prince stunned, Raditz adoringly. Kakarot giggles, and he sees the boy trying to reach for his hair. Bardock takes one of his bangs and studies it.

It's red.

"I... I am," awe fills his own voice.

A gasp in the distance gets his attention. Freeza is frozen in place, his mouth open in shock. _And not just shock_ , Bardock realizes with a smile. _Fear._

"You guys," he tells the others. "Stay here and get some rest. I'll finish this."

He flies toward the tyrant, and sees him shake his head as he repeats something over and over.

"No, no, no no NO NO NO!" Freeza screams, unable to take his eyes off the red-haired Saiyan heading towards him. "It's just a legend! A fairy tale!"

The monkey stops, smirking. "What's the matter?" he asks. "Are you _scared_?"

"You... you bastard!" he explodes, destroying his hover chair as he powers up and flies up. He rises his finger, creating an energy ball more than twice as large as the one before. "Don't get too full of yourself! Try to stop THIS ONE, 'Super Saiyan'!"

He throws the attack, and sees the Saiyan remain in place as it speeds toward him. Before the attack engulfs him, he raises a hand in front of him. "Serves you right!" the Emperor of the Universe laughs. _I knew it was a fluke! After all, I am the strongest being in the –_

The attack disintegrates in a shower of sparkles. He looks at its center, where the Saiyan stands uninjured and without a sign of having struggled.

"W-what...?"

"So weak..." Bardock looks at his hand, almost disbelieving he grabbed the tyrant's attack and crushed it with it. "The first attack felt overwhelming, but now they're nothing to me..."

"You filthy monkey!" Freeza screams. Bardock's smile becomes a savage grin as he notices the fear in his voice. "What the hell are you?!"

"You said it yourself!" he powers up, his aura flame-like. "I AM BARDOCK, THE SUPER SAIYAN!"

He speeds toward him, so fast the tyrant's reaction looks almost frozen in time. His left fist connects against Freeza's face, feeling a crush as his nose breaks. The force sends the monster flying, crashing against his ship.

"Take this!" he gathers energy in his right hand and throws it at the tyrant. The ball reaches the ship, making it explode in a large fireball.

He stands in place, watching the smoke and debris slowly clear away. "I know you're alive, Freeza," he calls. "Are you hiding?"

A burst of energy blows the remnants of the ship away, revealing the tyrant. His armor is broken, and there's blood running from his nose and forehead. The monster glares at him. "Hiding?!" he screams. "You think I'd hide from you?!"

Freeza forces himself to stop. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to collect himself. His eyes open, and a smile appears on his face.

"You're getting too cocky, I'm afraid," he speaks calmly. "You think you're stronger than me, do you not?"

Bardock doesn't answer him. He stares in silence, his eyes narrowed. _He looks so confident, all of the sudden. What's going on?_

"Let me tell you why you're wrong," Freeza grins as his energy surrounds him, growing larger with each moment. "You're not the only one who can transform!"


	14. The Emperor vs The God, Part 2

_A/N: Sorry for the long, long wait, everyone. A lot of things happened IRL and I wasn't able to come back to this until recently. Also, part of the problem is that Broly, as much as I love it, completely screwed up my original outline. The story was going to be a sort of mystery, with Bardock and King Vegeta investigating Freeza's odd orders until they discovered his plan. But movie Bardock puts it together right away so that messed things up._

A purple aura surrounds the tyrant.

"You're bluffing," Bardock looks on, curious despite the grave situation. _If he can actually transform, I wonder how strong he'll get._

"Gah!" Freeza screams, just before his torso grows impossibly large. The Saiyan moves back, and watches the monster's legs, arms, and finally his head grow to match its size.

Freeza exhales, then turns to him with a grin.

"Well," he says. "Where were we?"

He flies toward him, and Bardock sees he's moving as slowly as before transforming. _He didn't get that strong,_ he suppresses a smile and pretends not to notice as the tyrant reaches him and attacks.

Its fist lands on his face, and he thinks Kakarot's little punches hurt more.

"What do you think, you stupid monkey?!" Freeza laughs, but his joy is cut short when he notices Bardock didn't move an inch. "Wha -?"

The Saiyan's fist buries itself deep in the monster's stomach. Freeza backs away, doubled over in pain, bile dripping from its mouth. Bardock vanishes and appears above him. With his hands clasped together, he slams them against the emperor, sending him flying away.

"Is the only thing that changed your body?" he calls. "You're just as weak as before!"

"Weak?" Freeza glares at him. "You're calling ME WEAK?! I'll show you weak!"

The aura envelops him again. Spikes explode from his back, and his shoulder armor turns into pads like the ones on Bardock's uniform. But the biggest change is on his head; his face turns almost into a beak, and his skull extends considerably.

"What do you think?" he taunts, a faint nasal tone in his voice. "You became quite strong, Saiyan, I'll give you that. Enough to surpass my first transformation."

"But that's as far as you go!"

The Emperor flies toward him at full speed, savoring the monkey's look of despair as he was surprised. He can almost see it already... and suddenly, he's flying backwards.

He stops himself, and confusion crosses his face. The Saiyan is standing much closer than before, his fist raided. _He... punched me? I didn't seem him move. I didn't see HIM MO-_

A punch to the stomach, then one to the back of the head, then there's so many it feels like an entire army is attacking him at once.

Suddenly the Saiyan is front of him, his open hand inches from him. A single thought crosses the Emperor's mind:

 _DEATH._

"I'm tired of you, Freeza," Bardock charges the final attack on his hand. "Die!"

A large amount of energy surrounds the monster, and the warrior is surprised to see its skin begin to crack. Suddenly it bursts open, causing a large explosion that barely ruffles the Saiyan's hair. But the energy doesn't vanish, it grows and grows as the monster's scream until it disappears at once.

"This is my final form," it tells him. "I'm done playing around!"

The monster looks different again. Small and all white, except for purple spots on his head, torso, shoulders, arms, and legs, and his muscles are bloated.

Freeza flies high, then raises its arms. A ball of energy appears between his hands, the color of flames, and it grows until it's larger than the moon. It almost seems as large as the planet itself. But Bardock barely pays attention to it. He's distracted by what is happening to him. It's strange, almost like he can _feel_ the monster's power level.

He can feel the attack is no more dangerous than an ant's bite.

"Struggle all you want!" he charges his power again. "You're dying all the same!"

The monkey's attack is so small, it makes the Emperor laugh.

"That's it?" he cackles. "That's all the power of the legendary Super Saiyan?!"

He sees the monkey throw his attack at him, a small blue energy sphere. He laughs even harder, almost delirious by relief. _What a nightmare this was! For a moment I actually believed I would LOSE! ME! THE EMPEROR OF THE UNIVERSE!_

Their attacks collide, and the Emperor looks with glee as his engulfs the monkey's. Then joy stops as the blue sphere grows in size, until his own attack disappears inside it.

"What...?" stares in disbelief as the attack approaches fast, not having lost any speed despite the size. "What?! WHAT?!

"THIS CANNOT BE!" Emperor Freeza, lord of the Planet Trade Organization and the strongest being in the universe, screams. "I CANNOT LOSE! I WILL NOT LOSE! I-"

Blackness.

The attack explodes, the size and light eclipsing the sun for a moment. When it's over, the monster is gone.

"This is it," Bardock exhales, and feels the power of the Super Saiyan leave him. He turns behind him, and sees his family and the princes staring in awe.

"It's over," he tells them, and can't help but smile.

NEXT TIME: CHALLENGES ON THE HORIZON


	15. Epilogue – Challenges on the Horizon

From one of the tall windows of the palace, King Bardock watches several Attack Balls fly away, off to conquer more planets. They eventually disappear, yet he keeps staring out into the sky.

"Your Majesty," someone speaks behind him. "Queen Gine wants to see you."

"Send her in," he replies, still looking out the window. He hears his servant run to the large doors of the throne room, and then the softer footsteps of his wife grow closer.

"What's going on, Bardock?" she stands next to him. "You've been very absentminded ever since you were crowned."

The King of All Saiyans finally looks away from the window, and turns to his wife. Unlike him, wearing the fancy armor and cape that marks him as royalty, the woman looks just as she did that day, just over a month ago yet feeling like a lifetime ago, when he arrived home and discovered Freeza's plot.

"Do you know how I felt when I tried to stop Freeza's attack, just before I turned into a Super Saiyan?" he asks. Gine shakes her head. "I felt terror, and impotence, that my world and my family were about to die on a monster's whim.

"I've been thinking... that's how every planet we invade must feel."

"Have we received any messages from my son?"

"I'm sorry, My King, but no."

King Cold rises from his throne and walks to the ship's main computer. He stands next to the man working on it, dwarfing the purple alien, and sees him trembling in fear. "What is my son's last known location?"

"Sir," the man types furiously, correctly fearing his life is forfeit if he makes the king wait for too long. "We received a transmission more than a month ago, sir. It says he was heading for Planet Vegeta."

"Very well," King Cold walks back to his throne, and looks at the barely visible dot in the distance. "Once we conquer this planet we'll see what's keeping him busy."

 _The explosion dissipates, and the red-haired Saiyan stands victorious. His hair turns back to black, and he turns to his companions._

"Now that's interesting," the blue humanoid smiles. He taps his staff on the ground, and the image of the warrior vanishes. "Very interesting.

"It seems Lord Beerus's prophecy was true after all."

 **A/N: So here we are, the end of the story. This is the first fic I've finished, and all things said, I think it turned out well. Thank you to everyone who read it, with the many hiatuses and other setbacks, I really appreciate it and it's very encouraging.**

 **Now, what comes next? I have a few things I want to work on, like the other story I'm writing, a commission I received (and I'm really excited about), and another one I outlined a long time ago. Do I have plans for a DB story? Well, I have a DBZ retelling I want to write, and of course...**

 **The Legendary Warrior: Battle of Gods**


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